British News Agency

When a new round of negotiations begins Monday in Stockholm, Chinese negotiators led by Vice Premier He Lifeng are expected to greet their American counterparts with renewed confidence in Beijing's uncompromising and tough approach and with a growing willingness from the US to make further concessions.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who leads the US delegation, said before the talks in the Swedish capital that both sides will work on a "likely" extension of the trade truce that expires on August 12.

China's tight control over strategic minerals forced the Trump administration to retract some export restrictions on China, including the surprising lifting of the ban on sales of a major Nvidia AI chip.

Meanwhile, government data shows the Chinese economy recorded better-than-expected growth in the early months of the trade war and posted a record trade surplus that demonstrates export resilience despite distancing from the US market.

The 90-day delay agreed at a May meeting in Geneva suspended the triple-digit tariffs imposed in April that threatened to cut trade between the world's two largest economies. After mutual accusations of breaching agreements, the truce was saved in talks in London in June.

The Stockholm talks may now provide clues as to how much longer this easing may continue and whether the countries, as they move toward a permanent deal, can further lower remaining tariffs and address other tough issues such as technology restrictions.